A Better Alternative
by Evenstar120
Summary: When Billy moves to Angel Grove just after the death of his mother, he's not expecting much - but meets some unlikely friends - CH 4 UP! - Comments welcome
1. Moving

A Better Alternative  
__

Disclaimer: Saban owns the Power Rangers and associated characters. I own nothing (sob). 

Notes: A "before they were Rangers" fic, totally unrelated to my others.

"I have no desire to relocate at present," protested Billy Cranston, kicking one of the boxes that were to be filled with his possessions with the toe of his worn sneaker. He glared at his father, who was standing in the doorway.

Alden Cranston sighed, looking at the eleven-year-old. All he wanted to do was shout at the boy, but drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly instead. "William…Connor…Cranston, do_ not _kick things. I'm sorry that you're upset about the move." Alden was having a hard time reminding himself that he had to be the adult at that moment, and that to lose his temper would either send his small son into a sudden crying jag or result in the hurt silence that Billy tended to resort to. He hadn't had much practice dealing with the child on a twenty-four hour basis, and while he loved his son, Hannah had dealt much more with the day-to-day things: the minor rule infractions, writing notes to teachers, making his lunch, and other such chores. For Alden, it had been quite an adjustment. He had always known that the other kids teased Billy, both for his preternatural intelligence and his small size, but he had had no idea of the constant work it took to keep up with the situation. Notes back and forth from the teachers, phone calls, and conferences with the principal were commonplace. 

What was even worse was trying to deal with his emotions. Nearly a year after the terrible accident that had killed Hannah Cranston, he was still having troubles holding himself together. Billy was, of course, worse. Despite all his incredible intelligence, Billy had responded to his mother's death with the grief of the ten-year-old child he'd been. Alden remembered how he'd silently locked himself in his room just before the funeral and refused to come out. Some kindly aunt had managed to unlock the door with a nail file, and had coaxed him into coming to the funeral, but throughout, Alden had noticed that he'd maintained a stony silence, stubbornly refusing to cry. After a year of difficult domestic life, Alden had decided to take a transfer out of the Midwest. Maybe both of them could find some peace. 

Billy continued to glare at his father, and then, in an uncharacteristic burst of anger flared: "I miss Mom. She never would have made us move!" Tears streamed unbidden down his face. "I want Mom."

Kneeling down, Alden cupped and lifted Billy's chin so that he could look the boy in the eyes. "I miss her too, son. I miss her too." Billy yanked away. He was embarrassed at how childishly he'd behaved in front of his father, and if he had been able to realize it, he would have admitted that his father's tears scared him. He barely noticed his father get up and leave the room.

Billy continued to cry. The tears embarrassed him, but he couldn't help them. Quietly, he began pulling his possessions off the shelf, and placing them carefully into the boxes. It wasn't that he had any good friends or a compelling reason to like Chicago: he got beat up and teased at school, and his father worked long hours. Yet at the same time, he was virulently opposed to the move. 

After a time, he saw his father's figure reappear in the doorway. Tearstained and tired, Billy looked at him. "I'm finished."

Alden nodded. "I can see that. Thank you." He reached down to hug Billy, but Billy scooted away from him rapidly. It hurt more than Alden wanted to admit. "Do you have your homework done?"

Billy nodded. "It was not particularly challenging today." It wasn't challenging any day, but today the babyish spelling words and the simple math problems had irked him more than usual. "We are planning to leave the day after tomorrow, correct?"

Alden made a brief gesture of assent. "Yes. Tomorrow's your last day of school here. Do you want to get anything for your class or your teacher?"

Billy shook his head, and then reconsidered. Mrs. Tanner had been wonderful to him, letting him stay in at recess on occasion when the teasing became too bad and allowing him to do some work ahead of the class. "Perhaps Mrs. Tanner?"

"What do you think she would like?"

Billy considered for a moment. "Can I give her a new book? She has thus far presented us with extra credit math puzzles, and her supply was exhausted last week. She said she would have enjoyed giving us more if she possessed any, and all of the class liked them. I could give her a book containing alternative ones."

Alden smiled. "Then let's do that. I'm sure she'd love it." He checked his watch. It was seven o'clock, so the big bookstore down the way would be open still. "Shall we go see if we can find one?"

Billy cracked just a little bit of a smile. "I would find that most agreeable."

~*~

Two days later, as the plane touched down at the Angel Grove Community Airport, Billy glanced out the window upon looking up from his book. It didn't look like much, just warmer and sunnier than Chicago. His father had tried to be optimistic, and had told him he'd make some new friends, and that he'd like his new school, but with a pessimism older than his years, Billy was depressingly certain that no one would like him, and it was just going to be lonely. Beside him, his father stretched and stirred. "Well, we're here, son."

Billy nodded. He hadn't spoken much to his father after the book-shopping excursion. It had felt completely wrong for his father to take him out, instead of his mother. Somewhere, deep inside his heart, he wished that his mother had lived instead of his father. Not that his father was anything but kind, it just wasn't the same relationship he'd had with his mother. Billy knew the thought was wrong, and he immediately regretted it. But how he missed his mother!

The two disembarked and collected their luggage, neither of them speaking much. They caught a cab over to the quiet suburban house Alden had purchased after deciding to take the job in Angel Grove. Billy was unimpressed. It was nice, but it wasn't home. His father unlocked the front door, exposing a spacious interior. Alden looked at his son. "What room do you want to be yours?"

"You're letting me pick?" Billy was surprised.

Alden nodded. "Go ahead and explore. I'm going to call the moving company. They should be getting here in a couple of days. Until then, I shipped a few boxes of necessities ahead to last us. I'll work on getting those unpacked."

Billy wandered through the empty house. That was another difference, he thought. Mom would never have allowed us to stay in the house without proper furniture, and we would have stayed in a hotel until the moving van arrived and there were at least beds set up. However, his natural curiosity and love of exploring overpowered even his exhaustion and upset. He poked around, finding the master bedroom and an office of sorts. At last, he found a nicely sized room adjacent to the garage. He left the room and carefully opened the door to the garage. It was a two car one, and fairly large. Billy shrugged, and shut the door again. He headed back into the living room, where he could hear his father talking on the telephone. 

Alden hung up, and then spotted his son meandering into the room. "Have you found one you like?"

Billy nodded. 

"Then can you help me unpack?" asked Alden, carefully opening a large box. Inside were two folding cots and two sleeping bags. Billy sighed. Until the furniture got there, this was going to be uncomfortable. "Do you want to sleep in your new room, or shall we wait until we've gotten your things? We could both sleep in here" Alden indicated the large room, presumably the living room that they were standing in. 

Billy shook his head. Despite all, he wanted his privacy. Taking a cot and a sleeping bag, he dragged them down the hall and into the room he'd chosen. Outside, the sky was beginning to darken, and he felt hungry. Easily assembling the apparatus, he walked back to the living room to find his father struggling with his. "Dad. Allow me."

Alden, hot and flustered, put the pieces of the cot down. He assumed Billy had already figured out how to make the cot work, and he wasn't surprised. Billy had a way with mechanical things, which Alden had discovered when Billy had recently disassembled Hannah's heirloom clock and then put the delicate components back together perfectly. Alden had been horrified when he'd come home and seen the pieces of his wife's clock taken apart on the table. It hadn't worked very well for some time, but all the same, Alden wanted the clock to remain in decent condition. It was one of the few reminders of Hannah he had kept out. He had yelled, and Billy had taken refuge in his room. Alden had walked away to calm down, and about an hour later, come out with the goal of trying to prepare some sort of a meal for himself and his son. The clock was no longer on the table. Furiously, he had gone to his son's room, to find Billy quietly winding it to the correct time. Billy had held it out, almost as if it were an offering, and Alden had placed it back on the mantle where it belonged, despite his misgivings. The clock had worked perfectly from there on out. 

In no time, Billy had his father's cot assembled, and stepped back. "Thank you," said Alden quietly. He looked out at the sky, and realized it was getting dark. "Are you hungry?" he inquired.

Billy nodded silently. Billy's silence was beginning to wear on Alden's nerves, but he was aware that there was little that could have compelled his son to talk. "Come on, then. Let's go see what we can find."

"When am I expected to attend school?" asked Billy over French fries, cheeseburgers and shakes at a small diner. 

Alden checked the sheaf of papers he'd brought with him that gave directions and pointers for new residents of the Angel Grove Community, including Billy's school papers. "Well, they just said that we could register you when ever it would be convenient in the next week. So when do you want to start school?"

Billy thought carefully. School had never been a pleasant place. Usually he was bored in the classes and picked on by the other students. However, the thought of being stuck at home with only his father for the next couple of days was a little unnerving. "Would it be permissible for me to begin after we have unpacked our belongings?"

Alden nodded. "That would be fine." 

The pair finished their meal in silence. Billy was tired, and once they had arrived back at the house, he requested to be allowed to go to bed immediately. Alden tucked him in, kissed him good night, and then left him in the quiet, empty room. 

Normally, Billy dreaded sleeping. He always had horrid dreams, but tonight, he was too deeply exhausted to care. He drifted into a dreamless, black sleep.

~*~

When Billy awakened the next morning, he heard the honk of a school bus outside. Climbing out of his sleeping bag, he looked out the window. The bus had stopped at a house five houses down from his, and across the street. A boy clad in red ran out of the house, and onto the bus. Billy crawled back into his sleeping bag. He didn't feel like getting up. Eventually though, his growling stomach dragged him into the kitchen. Of course, there was virtually no food. Billy looked around for his father, noticing his father's "bed" was neatly arranged, checking the other rooms in the house. Failing to find his father, he peeped outside where Alden's company car had been the night before. It was gone. 

Billy began to panic. Where was his father? Where would his dad have gone without telling him at all or at least leaving a note? While Billy tended to be rational as a rule, the stress of moving was taking a toll. Unable to control himself, he sat down in the middle of the empty room and began to cry in terror. What if his dad never came home? 

A moment later, Alden walked in the front door with grocery bags to find Billy sitting in the middle of the floor sobbing frantically. The skinny boy clad only in an old t-shirt and boxer shorts with his owl-like glasses smudgy was a heartbreaking sight. Alden dropped the bags to the floor and ran over and took the boy in his arms. "Shhh, shhh. I'm here, I'm sorry."

Billy, for the first time since his mother's death, flung his arms around his father. "I thought you had gone for good." Alden cursed inwardly. He had checked that Billy was soundly asleep before he'd left, and he'd only been gone for about twenty minutes. He had not anticipated this type of a reaction. All he could do was hold Billy until the frantic sobs slowed to milder sniffles. 

"I am very, very sorry, son. I didn't realize you'd be up yet."

Billy just laid his head on his father's shoulder. While his father wasn't like Mom, he had just had a full realization of how devastating it would be to have lost his dad. "It's all right," he finally sniffled. 

"Care for breakfast?"

Billy nodded. "Affirmative."

After a subdued breakfast consisting of cold cereal, milk, and a fruit salad purchased at the store, a knock resounded on the door. Alden got up to answer it, while Billy grabbed his suitcase and headed for the bathroom to get cleaned up. When Billy came back out, he was surprised to find that there were boxes scattered across the house. Alden smiled at him. "I knew that the company had gotten us the deluxe moving service, but I didn't realize our things would be here this fast. Well, now we have some time to unpack before I start work next week."

Getting boxes into the house, and into the correct rooms occupied the whole day. Setting up basic bits of furniture such as the beds occupied the evening. The next couple of days passed quickly, with unpacking and associated work. Billy was busy trying to carefully make sure none of his scientific equipment, especially his prized microscope, was damaged. Alden was busy trying to put the furniture in the main rooms in semi-organized formations. Finally, two days later, the Cranstons declared the unpacking finished for the time being. 

The next step was to register Billy at the local school. It was a Tuesday when he was expected to come, and slinking in the doors of the school, stalling as much as possible, Billy reported to the principal's office. The principal, a younger man named Mr. Miller, was friendly enough and after talking to Billy about the school, rules, and Billy's scholastic abilities, he led Billy to a classroom on the fifth grade wing. The principal opened the door, and Billy peered nervously through. "Mrs. Sheldon, this is your new student, William Cranston."

"Thank you, Mr. Miller. William - is that what you want to be called?"

"Billy, please."

"All right then, Billy. Why don't you take the desk in the center row there…yes, that one. Class, why don't we introduce ourselves and say hello to our new classmate?"

As the kids went around giving their names and some fact about themselves, Billy mentally sized up each one in regards to how much damage they could possibly inflict on him physically. The large boy in the corner who introduced himself as "Bulk" seemed like he could be someone to avoid, and he even had a crony, a boy nearly as skinny and small as Billy himself. However, between the two of them, Billy didn't like considering what could happen to him. Another one that scared Billy was the one that stood up and introduced himself as "Jason". Jason seemed taller than Bulk, and more muscular. He definitely fit all of Billy's criteria for someone to steer clear of. 

"And why don't you tell us a little about yourself, now?" asked Mrs. Sheldon.

Billy stood up, swallowing fear. "I…I…I…I'm Billy Cranston. I'm from Chicago." He abruptly sat back down. 

Mrs. Sheldon nodded. "Well, welcome Billy." She began a lesson, and while Billy knew all of the answers easily, he slumped in his seat, not willing to risk having the class find out too soon just how much of a nerd he was. 

Thankfully, there were some questions Mrs. Sheldon had for him about his lessons at his old school, and Billy offered to answer them during recess. He figured that at least that way, he didn't have to face any of the kids on the playground. While he was pretty certain he'd get beat up eventually, he preferred that it didn't happen on the first day. 

After the final bell rang, Billy slunk out of the classroom, automatically scanning for sudden ambushes. He didn't think that anyone would have it in for him yet, but better safe than sorry. Just as he thought he was safe, he felt a hand land on his shoulder. "Hey, four-eyes," he heard behind him. 

Billy turned slowly. He tried to remember the name of the boy. "B...Bulk?" 

"Yeah, want to make something of it?"

"N…n…no."

Bulk grabbed his overall strap and hoisted him up as his crony laughed gleefully. "Shut up, Skull," Bulk directed at the crony. Then he turned back to Billy. "Listen here, I -" Before Bulk could get much more out, he turned around at a tap on his shoulder. Billy got a glance at the interloper before falling into a tangled heap when Bulk dropped him. The tall, muscular boy stood there. Bulk yelped softly and fled with Skull.

Billy knew enough about bullies that if Bulk was scared of the boy, he probably should be too. Pulling himself to his feet, Billy did the only thing he could think to do. He ran. 

Jason watched the new kid disappear toward the safety of the teacher-supervised parent-pick-up line. He was surprised by the kid's reaction to him. All he'd meant to do was make Bulk and Skull leave…Billy, wasn't it?…alone. But when Billy had seen him, a look had crossed Billy's face that indicated genuine terror. Jason shrugged helplessly and began trekking toward his home. There was nothing he could do now. He just didn't like seeing Bulk and Skull pick on the other students. 

~*~

Mary Scott looked down the street to the house where the large moving van had been parked the other day. She would have gone to meet whoever the new neighbors were right then, but had decided to give them a couple of days to unpack and get settled before going to visit. Tonight might be a good night, she thought. Jason didn't have karate lessons that evening, and she knew her husband Dean would be home. Pulling out sundry ingredients for cookies, Mary got to work on baking something to bring the new additions to the neighborhood.

As she mixed the batter, Mary wondered if there were any children in the family. Ever since the Taylors had moved to a new neighborhood, Jason had had no playmates within walking or biking distance. While the Taylor's son Zack visited most afternoons, walking home from school with Jason and being either picked up by one of his parents or driven home by the Scotts just before dinner, it made prior arrangements necessary for weekend or evening visits. Lost in thought, she jumped when she heard the door open behind her. Jason was home, and by the quiet, she assumed that he was alone.

"How was school?" Mary asked as Jason settled himself at the counter on one of the barstools for a snack. 

"Oh, good. We have a new boy in our class."

Mary placed a glass of milk and some cut-up fresh fruit in front of her son. "What's he like?"

Jason shrugged. "Quiet, I guess."

"Well, you ought to try to get to know him. He's bound to feel out of place right now. If he's quiet, I bet he could use a friend. How's Zack? I notice that he didn't come home with you today."

"Zack had a dentist appointment today and he left after recess."

Mary nodded. "By the way, try to have your homework done before dinner. We have some new neighbors, and I'd like you to come with your father and I to welcome them. Maybe they'll even have a boy your age."

Jason assented and took his snack and his schoolbooks over to the kitchen table to get started. 

~*~

"How was your first day?" Alden asked Billy, cheerfully on the surface, but inwardly hoping it hadn't been a disaster. 

"Satisfactory."

"Did you meet any new friends?"

"I needed to remain indoors for recess so my teacher Mrs. Sheldon could inquire about my scholastic background to better facilitate my integration into the classroom."

Alden had to think for a moment about the statement to evaluate it. Billy had a decidedly ponderous way of expressing himself, and Alden wondered sometimes if the other kids even knew what Billy was saying most of the time. In any case, it didn't help the social situation. 

"Ah, I see. Do you like Mrs. Sheldon?"

"Affirmative." 

The Cranstons arrived at the new house, and despite his father's urgings for Billy to go play outside in the beautiful weather, Billy declined to do so, going straight to his room. Alden checked on him an hour or two later, and found Billy carefully combining two liquids in a test tube. Pulling out a blank notebook, Billy wrote down the exact amounts, and set the tube in a holder. Alden backed out of the door silently, wondering exactly what his son was doing. Whatever it was, it did not look like a normal eleven-year-old activity.

Alden was worried about his Billy. He hoped Billy didn't have as much of a problem with bullies here, and then there were some logistics to work out as well. He had picked Billy up from school today, but he knew once his job started full-time, he would be unable to do that. He also had to find a babysitter of some sort, or at least someone to keep an eye out for Billy for the interim where he would be at work and Billy would be out of school. Sighing, he headed for the kitchen to attempt to cook dinner.

At dinner, the silence was overwhelming. Billy picked at his food. His dad had tried hard, but despite the best intentions and efforts, dinner tasted a little funny. While clearing the dishes off the table once they had finished, Billy heard the doorbell. He scooted into the kitchen with his dirty dishes while his father went to answer the door. When Billy heard the door open, he peeked out of the kitchen to get a glimpse of who had come.

There stood a fairly tall, brunette woman with a man (her husband, Billy assumed) who was also tall. Beside them stood a boy. Billy squinted through his glasses. Then his heart jumped. It couldn't be…but it was…the boy from school who the other bullies had fled. Ignoring his father's call for him to come out and meet the visitors, he moved stealthily out of the kitchen, down the hall and into his room, quietly shutting the door behind him. 

Alden invited the Scotts to sit down, offered coffee, which they accepted, and then called for Billy to come join them. When Billy didn't come at first, Alden wasn't unduly concerned, but when he heard the soft click of a door shutting down the hall, he became suspicious. "I'm sorry," he apologized to the Scotts. "I don't know what's gotten into him. Ever since his mother - my wife - died, he's been a bit skittish."

Mary Scott filed that bit of information away in her mind. She had wondered why there hadn't seemed to be any female presence in the house - any knickknacks on any of the end tables, or a particular decoration scheme. Jason suddenly spoke up. "Is he my age?"

Alden, surprised but pleased smiled at the Scott boy. "How old are you? I'm afraid I don't know your name."

"Jason. I'm eleven."

"Well, then he's just your age. If you want to see if you can find him, his room's the last one on the right at the end of the hall."

Jason, bored and not wanting to sit with the adults any further, jumped off the couch and headed in the direction Mr. Cranston had pointed. Finding the door closed, he knocked, and then opened it. On the bed sat the new boy from school. 

Billy jumped instantly. He knew inwardly that his father would never let the other boy hurt him here, but it did not sit well with him that this was apparently one of his new neighbors. He stared mutely, wondering what the boy would do.

"Hi, I'm Jason." Jason entered the room so that he could better face the blonde.

"I…I'm B…Billy."

Jason noticed instantly the same defensive posture and disconcerted look Billy had given him that afternoon. It didn't register with him for a minute. Then, suddenly, it did. "I'm not going to beat you up, you know," Jason proclaimed with a childish lack of guile.

Billy relaxed visibly, but before he could speak, Jason had crossed to the desk where Billy's experiment from the afternoon was laid out. "This is cool. What is it?"

Billy, finally in comfortable territory began to explain some of the properties of the various components of his experiment. Jason didn't understand a word of the explanation, but he remembered his mother's admonition to be nice and he was an innately kind child, if a little careless at times. Jason could tell that Billy was passionate about the subject he was explaining, and while it didn't overly interest Jason, he could tell it meant a lot to Billy that he was listening. "You sure use big words," he commented when Billy was finished.

Billy blushed. "Uh…"

"No, it's cool. I just don't know anyone who can talk that way. Hey, do you want to come over to my house after school tomorrow?"

Billy wasn't sure what to make of the invitation. He'd never, in all of his eleven years, been invited to anyone's house. His mother had done her best to make up for it, taking him to museums and other special places, but she could only do so much to assuage the ache. "Are you certain?" he asked cautiously.

Jason shot him a quizzical look. "Of course I am Do you walk home from school?"

"My dad picked me up today, but I think he's going to be starting work soon and won't be able to do that anymore." 

"Do you think your dad will let you walk home tomorrow with me?"

Billy was still slightly unsure. Jason seemed friendly enough, but what if that was just a front to get him alone? He assumed Jason had friends, and he was also unsure about how they might react to him. "I hypothesize I could request permission."

Shyly, Billy made his way toward the living room. "Dad?" He asked softly.

"Billy! I want you to meet our new neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Scott."

Billy blushed silently, and then found his voice. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he said quietly. Both of the Scotts smiled. Billy seemed a very polite if incredibly reticent child. Mary secretly hoped he and Jason would become friends. Perhaps Billy would settle her son a bit, while at the same time Jason would add a bit of liveliness to the oddly adult somberness that seemed to hover around Billy. 

Jason bounded into the living room not far behind Billy. "Mom, can Billy come over after school tomorrow?"

At the same time, Billy was inquiring: "Dad, would it be permissible for me to walk home tomorrow with Jason and then visit?"

Both the Scotts and Alden exchanged looks. "That would be fine, Jason" said Mary.

Alden nodded at Billy. "You may, as long as you walk with Jason. I don't want you walking home alone."

It was getting late, and Mary checked her watch. "I think we had better be going. However, I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Billy. Nice meeting you, Alden."

"Yes, nice to meet you Mr. Cranston. See you tomorrow!" Jason called to Billy as he and his parents walked back toward their own residence. 

~*~

Alden shut the door after waving a last good-bye and turned to his son. "Jason seems nice." Only when noting the healthy, happy, strong child Jason was in contrast to Billy's peaked face and waif-like figure had he realized just how much his son had suffered both over the death of his mother and at the hands of cruel classmates. He prayed silently that perhaps this friendship would work out. Billy could use a good friend, especially one that would get him out into the fresh air and engaged in something besides his mathematical calculations and scientific experiments. 

Billy rewarded him with the ghost of a smile. Unable to help himself, despite the fact that he knew it would offend his son's dignity, he reached down and swept Billy into a tight embrace. 

~*~

Billy woke up the next morning actually anticipating school for once. He fastened the straps of his overalls, and walked into the kitchen. His father was out there, eating cold cereal. Billy climbed into a kitchen chair and poured himself a bowl. "Good morning, Billy," Alden said, looking at his son. 

"Good morning, Dad." Alden looked more closely. Billy didn't seem quite as…well, reluctant as he had the previous morning. 

"Ready for school? We need to go ahead and leave soon if you want me to drop you off. Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up?"

"I'm certain" said Billy calmly. 

"All right then, I'll see you when you get home from Jason's."

Alden and Billy both headed for the car, and drove to the school.

~*~

The school day was busy with a guest-speaker and various other activities. Much to Billy's surprise, Jason never left his side. Nor did Jason's friend Zack. Zack was friendly and funny, and while Billy had expected the popular young man to eschew his company, Zack seemed interested in him. It had certainly been different for him to eat lunch with others, instead of by himself, and have someone at recess to hang out with. As the final bell rang and the class filed out, Billy tagged along just behind the other two, not wishing to push his luck. Jason looked back. "Come on! Mom was making brownies this morning for her club. Maybe there will be some left." That was certainly enough of an invitation and incentive for Billy, who loved sweets and chocolate in particular! He caught up to the other boys, and the three walked home in companionable fashion.

Arriving at the Scott house, Billy smelled the familiar homey scents of baking and the potpourri Mary had set out in a small decorative vase on the end table. "Jason! Is that you?" called a voice from the kitchen.

"Yeah" Jason called back. "It's me and Zack and Billy. Are there any brownies left?"

The boys traipsed into the kitchen. Mary smiled at them. "Yes, there are brownies left."

"Can we have some?"

"_May_ we have some _please_, and yes, you may."

In no time, the trio had tucked into the plate of brownies Mary set out, and were swigging down milk with the same gusto. In particular, Mary noticed the new boy, Billy. He ate as though he hadn't had homemade treats in quite some time, but was trying to be polite about it by only taking one. "Go on, have more," she urged him. It was entirely possible, she reflected, that his father couldn't cook too well, and he was so waiflike, unlike Jason or Zack. I'll have to spoil him a little, Mary thought to herself. He looks like he could use it.

~*~

When Alden knocked on the Scott's door at five, he heard a loud yell and the stomping of feet running up the stairs. The door opened, and he recognized Mrs. Scott standing in front of it. "Come in, come in," she urged him. "The boys are rather chagrinned that it's nearly time for them all to go home. I think they're playing some sort of pirate game. They ought to be down in a minute, though."

"Thank you for letting Billy visit, Mrs. Scott," said Alden, still slightly stunned that his virtually silent son was apparently running around and playing. 

"Don't mention it. And it's Mary. Do you work until this time every evening?"

Alden nodded. "I was wondering, since you've lived here longer, do you know any decent babysitters? I know Billy's getting older, but I don't want him coming home to an empty house. I could use an older teen who would just be there for the two hours before I get done with work."

Mary looked at Alden. "You know, if Billy just wants to come over here after school to play, we'd love to have him. Zack's parents both work, and he comes over with Jason most afternoons, and the more the merrier. Besides, he and Jason and Zack seem to have hit it off really well."

Alden hesitated. Reading his hesitation, Mary responded "I know you don't know us as well yet, but the offer stands if you ever need it."

Finally Alden nodded. There was something that inspired trust about the woman, and while he was protective of his son, he could tell that Billy was having a good time. "I would be very grateful for that. Thank you."

Just then, three boys came flying into the living room, out of breath and laughing amongst themselves. Alden stared. The boy in the overalls was his son…but was he? Alden hadn't seen Billy crack a real smile for nearly a year, yet at the moment, Billy was grinning from ear to ear. "Mom?" asked Jason, "Can Billy come over again tomorrow?" 

"Well," chided Mary, "You'd better ask Mr. Cranston. But of course, Billy is welcome any time."

"Mr. Cranston? Can he?"

"May I, Dad?"

Alden was taken aback by the enthusiasm in his son's voice. "Certainly. But it's time to go home now."

"Yes," agreed Mary, "and we need to be taking Zack home as well. See you tomorrow, Billy, Alden."

~*~

Several months passed, and Alden became more and more grateful for the blessing visited upon himself and his family in the form of the Scotts. It was nice to have someone who was willing to help look after Billy, but more, Alden was grateful to see the peaked look leave his son's face. While Billy was still introverted and quiet at times, Alden realized that that was his son's basic nature, and no matter how happy he was, Billy would always be on the quiet side. Billy still spent quite a large amount of time doing experiments, but they no longer comprised his whole world. 


	2. Friendship formed

A Better Alternative

_All disclaimers in part one apply - the short version: I don't own the rangers. Never have, (sob) never will._

"That's IT! I have had it with you, you sad bastard! Get out!"

"Carolyn, you don't -"

"I do! GET OUT!"

Eleven year-old Kimberly Hart cowered on her bed. _Please, Mom,_ she whispered _please stop fighting with Daddy._ Her hopes for peace in the house were quickly shattered anew. 

"Fine, Carolyn, I'll get out! Just don't expect me to come back!" Kim heard the door slam and as she scampered to her window, she saw her father walking away down the driveway. The car engine roared to life, and in an instant, Kevin Hart was gone. An anger that the petite child had never felt possessed her, and Kim flew down the stairs.

"Mom, where's Daddy going?"

Carolyn Hart looked down at her daughter's furious face. "Oh, baby…"

"You made him leave!"

Her daughter's accusation surprised Carolyn. Kim could get passionate, but this was much more furious than usual. "You told him to get out! You made him go!" The thin wail rose from Kimberly. 

Carolyn couldn't fight the fury she felt at this unjust accusation. Kevin had confessed that he had had a long-term affair with a woman from work, his second. The first time, Carolyn had been forgiving, but this time, it was too much for her. She had ordered Kevin out, with good reason, and it felt completely unfair to be blamed by her daughter for Kevin's shortcomings. As of right then, Kim was in the dark about the true reason for her parent's estrangement, by mutual agreement. Neither Kevin nor Carolyn wanted to disabuse Kimberly of her childish innocence by exposing the lurid details, or attempting to explain the whole situation with the two affairs. When she was a little older, Kim would be told. However, with Kim's furious declaration coming hard on the heels of the fight, Carolyn was too upset to think before she spoke. "How dare you!" shouted Carolyn. "Your father loved that slut from work better than he loved you or me!"

Kimberly's face went white. Carolyn instantly regretted her hasty words, but there was little she could do as she watched the girl, visibly deflated, walk away. 

~*~

"I think my parents might…" Kim glanced around the playground at school the next day, making sure no one else was listening, and then whispered into her best friend Trini Kwan's ear "get divorced." 

Before Trini could respond, the loud "phweet!" of a teacher's whistle pierced the air. "That's my class," said the Asian girl sadly. "I'm sorry about your parents. Meet me after school?" With a comforting hug that said more than words, Trini sighed. It was too bad that Kim was in one of the other fifth grade classes. She could tell Kimberly was hurting, but there was nothing she could do unless she wanted to be in trouble which would benefit no one. Mrs. Morgan, Trini's teacher, was strict about tardiness.

Kim nodded wordlessly, and watched as Trini hurried to go line up. Her class still had fifteen more minutes of recess, and she had no idea what she wanted to do. After sitting in self-pity for a moment, Kim got up, brushed herself off, and headed back toward the building and the rest of the playground equipment. "Ooff!" she gasped, tripping hard over a form that she had not noticed resting in the grass.

"Are you going to be satisfactory? Or shall I find a faculty member to assist you, if you are injured?" came the voice. Kimberly looked up. A slender boy wearing overalls and glasses looked down at her, offering his hand. Kimberly vaguely recognized him as a member of Mrs. Sheldon's fifth grade class. _Doesn't he usually hang around with those other two guys…oh what were their names…Zack and Jason?_ Kim wondered before starting to brush herself off.

"I'm fine," she grumped, ignoring the boy's outstretched hand and pulling herself to her feet. To her complete dismay, a tear had begun to make its way down her cheek. The mild ache of the fall, coupled with her frustration and hurt over her parent's most recent fight made her feel surly and to her annoyance, weepy. 

"A-are you positive?" stammered the boy. "You seem a bit perturbed. Could I be of any assistance?"

"Let's put it this way," snapped Kimberly, not really understanding the boy's long words but catching the gist of them, "the only way you could possibly help is not to talk in such stupid words that I can't understand! What would you know, anyway? The only way you could be worse off is if one of your parents had died!"

With that, Kim stormed off, not noticing the horribly shocked, hurt expression on the boy's face. 

Billy stared after her. All he had wanted to do was be helpful. The girl probably didn't realize how much what she had said had hurt so much, or that it had touched a very sensitive nerve. Just then, Zack and Jason ran up. They had been inside, helping Mrs. Sheldon put up a new bulletin board as punishment for having forgotten their homework - Zack forgetting to do his, Jason leaving his sitting on the couch that morning. Both were overall good students, and so the teacher had agreed not to contact their parents as long as it did not become a habit and they stayed in and helped her for half of recess. 

"Billy, man, what's up!" shouted Zack, cavorting around, not noticing that Billy's normally ethereal complexion was now absolutely white. 

Jason, however, noted the expression on his friend's face. "What's wrong?" 

"Who is that girl in the pink t-shirt and blue jean skirt?" Billy asked, staring past Jason. 

"Oh, her?" said Zack. "She's a cheerleader. I think her name's Kimberly or something like that. Why?" The last question was asked as Zack noticed the way Billy was staring after her. It was not an expression of puppy love, or even like. Billy, Zack observed, looked like she'd slapped him or something.

~*~

Lining up with her class to go back into the school building, Kimberly was beginning to feel guilty for having snapped at the boy. After all, he hadn't done anything - except offer to help me, she thought ruefully. Her thought was interrupted as a whisper came from behind her.

"What'd you say to that geek out there?"

Kim sighed. Evelyn Robinson could be so annoying sometimes, but as captain of the elementary school cheerleading squad, Evelyn was no one to be trifled with. "Oh, I didn't see him and nearly tripped over him."

"Good," giggled Evelyn. "Thought you might have been slumming a little." While her tone was superficially light-hearted, Kimberly instantly caught the implied warning not to talk to the boy again. "Cheerleading practice after school today - you'll be there, right?"

Kim nodded. "We'll be working on that new cheer Lisa made up, won't we?"

"Yeah," replied Evelyn, "Oh, that old bat's giving us death looks. Better be quiet, talk to you after school."

Kimberly was mildly grateful for the teacher's forcing an end to the conversation. Hidden under the cheerleader exterior, Kim had a good heart, and knew that she ought to apologize to the "geek" as Evelyn had called him. She also knew that if Evelyn saw her doing so, there would be no end to the insults and derogatory remarks. Evelyn barely tolerated Trini, whom she considered to be pretty much nothing, and Kimberly had no wish to have Evelyn turn the rough side of her tongue on Kim. _Still,_ thought Kim, _I ought to say something. Evelyn usually goes straight to the gym to change and start getting things ready for practice. I'll bet that I could catch him then and apologize without her seeing me._

~*~

"Settle down, settle down or I'll hold you after the bell!" Mrs. Sheldon threatened. Being late afternoon, the class was wont to get a bit rambunctious, and today they were being especially noisy. At this dire threat, however, the class took their seats and sat with barely restrained energy until at last the bell chimed. Children flew from their seats, backpacks were grabbed, and the chatter of twenty-odd voices filled the air. Billy, Jason, and Zack were no different, comparing notes on what plans for after school were.

"I got the kit last night," said Jason. "Mom said she'd get the model glue for me today at the store." 

"And I - " Billy began, but broke off as he saw the girl in pink from recess motioning to him from across the hall. 

"Ooooh," laughed Zack, "Someone's got a girlfriend!" He was shushed by a death-look from Jason, who intuitively knew something wasn't right. 

Billy cautiously crossed the hall. He had no desire for another diatribe to be leveled at him, but she seemed earnest and not angry. Once he got closer, he noted another girl standing next to the cheerleader. This girl was Asian and just a little taller than the pink-clad girl. Billy recognized the Asian girl as his final challenger in the fifth grade spelling bee the previous week. He remembered her matching him word for word until she'd finally tripped over the word "encephalitis", missing the second "i" from the end. Billy knew it had been merely an error under pressure rather than not knowing how to spell the word, and he had been mildly curious about her since. She seemed very intelligent, but as he had lacked the courage to approach her, he had never caught her name or what class she was in.

"Y…yes?" He asked the girl in pink as he adjusted his glasses. "Did you h…have a reason f…for s…summoning me?"

The girl nodded. "My name's Kimberly Hart. Umm, I…like, well…I'm sorry for what I said to you at recess."

Billy was about to accept the apology when a voice from behind him spoke suddenly. "What a geek! Kim, what are you doing with _him_?" The disgust was plain. 

Kimberly blushed crimson. "Uh, Evelyn…"

Evelyn's pretty features were distorted in an ugly sneer of contempt. For an instant she hesitated. Then, instead of speaking further, she tossed her dark hair and strode off.

Kim stared after her. It was too much. Her lower lip began to quiver softly and she valiantly struggled to keep tears back. Trini put a comforting arm around her, and Billy just stared, unsure of what to do. He was pretty certain it was his fault that Kim was upset, and slowly started to back away. Zack and Jason, who had been watching from across the hall, stared. Before any of them could do anything however, Kim whirled abruptly and hurried into the girl's bathroom, Trini in hot pursuit. 

All three of the boys somehow knew that the compassionate thing to do was to wait and make sure Kimberly was all right. So, for several minutes, they stood in silence until Trini came out of the bathroom.

Billy stepped forward, feeling as though he ought to ask, since he perceived the incident as his fault. "Uh…Is Kimberly satisfactory?" he inquired nervously.

Trini nodded. "Yes, she's not having a very good day…other stuff besides this" Trini added hastily seeing the boys wince slightly. "I'm Trini Kwan," she said, feeling an introduction was in order.

"Jason Scott."

"Zack Taylor."

"Ummm…oh…My name's Billy." Billy replied, stuttering a little. "I am truly sorry about Kimberly. It was not my intention to embarrass her in any way." 

To Billy's surprise, Trini did not shoot him a blank look the way most of the other children did when he said something. "It's not your fault," she soothed. "Kimberly will be fine."

"We'd better get going," said Jason after an awkward pause. "My mom will be worrying." 

The other two boys nodded, glad for an excuse. "'Bye, Trini!" called Zack as they retreated to Jason's house. The remainder of the afternoon was spent there, working on a model airplane, but a vague current of unease hung over the trio at what they had witnessed. 

~*~

Once Kim had pulled herself together, she shrugged off Trini's suggestion that she skip practice that evening, and patting her face with cold water to diminish the puffy redness that ringed her eyes, she steeled herself and headed for the gym. Slipping in, she noted that the other cheerleaders were already in the middle of learning the new cheer. Kimberly walked to her spot in the formation, hoping that Evelyn wouldn't say anything. Around her a soft whisper of voices rose, and Kim was quickly aware they were talking about her.

_How many times did I take part in this?_ she wondered silently. She could remember passively helping Evelyn exile several girls, and now it haunted her. _So this is what it feels like_. Cold looks were tossed her direction, and Kim felt a distinct chill in her bones. _I didn't do anything!_ she protested silently. She knew, though, that Evelyn had made fun of other girls for a lot less - she'd already risked censure by making Trini one of her best friends, and Kim supposed that apologizing to the 'geek' had been the last straw. _So did I,_ she remembered.

~*~

Flouncing her dress, Lisa Miller carefully spread her skirt over the bench at the long cafeteria table. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Kimberly Hart heading over toward the table. All of the girls had spread their neatly pleated and pressed skirts or thrown their jackets over the spare seats, and Lisa knew that they would not make room for Kimberly today. In her heart, she felt sorry for the girl, but not sorry enough to take a risk and let Kim sit with them. 

Kimberly rubbed her forehead. _What now?_ she wondered. Trini had a special honor student lunch that day, and while the two did not usually sit together, she knew she could have sat with Trini. Now, she was faced with a cafeteria full of people she realized that she'd hardly gotten to know or care about. Kim had always been popular, never worrying where to sit. But now, Kimberly was desperately adrift - her insular world was gone for at least the present, and a decision had to be made.

"You could sit with us!" a voice piped up. Kimberly turned to see the three boys from the day before. The African-American boy had been the one to extend the invitation, but she saw nods of concurrence from the other two, including the one she'd dubbed "the geek" the previous day. 

"Uhmmm…" she said softly and then decided. She was already out of the popular group - Evelyn and the other cheerleaders had made sure of that - and Kim knew she had nothing to lose. Besides, she had to admire the forbearance that…_Billy,_ she reminded herself, _NOT "geek". He has a name, and even though you were horrible to him yesterday, he and his friends are decent enough to give you somewhere to sit._ The thought made her feel fairly ashamed, but she forced a cheery smile onto her face, and replied: "That would be wonderful, thanks."

_To be continued. Reviews are, per usual, VERY appreciated._


	3. School's out!

**A Better Alternative**

_Disclaimer: Don't own them, never have, unfortunately, probably never will. _

_Author's Note: I know I've been remiss in getting stories posted, but hopefully now that the various things that mess up the writing process (computer disabled for an extended period, vacation, pulling extra shifts at work, etc.) are under control, I'll be more regular. Thank you to every one who's written a review, it really is encouraging to my creative juices!_

Trini was quite surprised upon entering the cafeteria to see Kimberly sitting with the three boys from the previous day instead of with the cheerleading group or one of the other more popular sets. She didn't hold Kim's popularity against her, after all, Kimberly had never treated her with anything less than friendship, despite the fact that the two were definitely on different social strata.

Trini had met Kim just after moving from Los Angeles to Angel Grove in the second grade. That same year, the Angel Grove School Corporation had redistricted several of the elementary schools, Kim's former school included. Thus, she had been as new and lonely as Trini, and the two had struck up an unlikely friendship. Even though Kim's interests ran more to clothing and gymnastics, while Trini's included scholarly pursuits and kung fu, for some reason, both girls had sensed something genuine in their affection for each other and continued to remain good friends even when the differences in their personalities began to put them on divergent tracks. 

Suddenly remembering the events of the previous day, Trini sighed. It looked as if Evelyn was on another of her vendettas and Trini was willing to bet that Kim had been the one chosen as the newest scapegoat. That didn't surprise her, Kim had been breaking all of Evelyn's ridiculous social codes since day one, and she knew that for simply treating the boy with glasses as a human being, it had been the last straw. What really surprised Trini, however, was how happy Kim looked as she and the three boys joked, all of them talking animatedly amongst themselves, seemingly oblivious to the scathing looks Evelyn was shooting in their direction. Trini headed for the table. 

"So, you can actually do that stuff? No kidding. I bet you're as smart as Trini!" Kim was saying to Billy, who, if truth had been told, was in a mild state of shock. He remembered the type of girls he'd first lumped Kimberly with, and most of the time they were not at all nice to him. He remembered being beat up by boys, but the kind of psychological bullying girls had a tendency to indulge in was equally painful and embarrassing. Yes, she'd yelled at him at first, but now Kimberly's friendliness was beyond reproach, and she had apologized after all. Billy turned slightly red at her comment about his intelligence, unsure of what to say. He was mercifully saved by a voice from behind him.

"Hi guys. Mind if I join you?"

Turning, Billy saw Trini standing beside him. "Uh," he stuttered, the attention of no less than four people cowing him slightly. "Affirmative."

Instead of giving him a blank look, Trini sat down at the table. Giving him a friendly smile, she joined the conversation, which had turned to the ending of school in a few weeks.

~*~

Kim was secretly extremely glad when the bell rang on the last day of school. Normally she dreaded the ending of school since few of her friends other than Trini lived close enough to walk, and it made for a much more quiet, boring existence than the one she was used to. Despite her newfound friends, Kim was tiring rapidly of the cold looks that Evelyn and her group kept shooting, as well as going to cheerleading practice which had become a very trying ordeal. Pride prevented Kim from surrendering her spot on the team despite the catty remarks she was subject to on a regular basis. She had gotten a few looks of genuine sympathy from a couple of members, all of whom, unfortunately, were too loyal to (or frightened of) Evelyn to actually intervene on Kim's behalf. 

Personally, Kim was realizing just how stupid the entire situation was. Why in the world did the other girls follow Evelyn? _They ought to know that once they've outworn their usefulness, they'll be treated the same way,_ thought Kimberly in frustration, made more intense by the wave of guilt that surged over her, because she knew that she'd been as willing as they at times. 

Kimberly sighed as she walked home alone for once, as Mrs. Scott had picked up Jason and Zack for Karate practice, and Trini and Billy had decided to go along to watch, Trini for her interest in the martial arts, Billy for the sake of company. Kim had been invited as well, but had declined. Normally, she jumped on anything social, but this time her mind was in far too much turmoil. Ever since that night her mother had ordered her father out of the house, Kim kept hearing the word "divorce" spoken by both parents. It was her hope that over summer vacation without school in the way, she could work on reconciling her mother and father. 

~*~

Karate practice over for the day, Mrs. Scott dropped Zack off at his house as Trini lived close to the dojo and had elected to walk. Billy was coming over to spend the night with Jason, and at that instant, Mary Scott was ready to get home and send both boys outside. They were wound up beyond belief, and even Billy was being rather hyper and loud. Remembering the almost silent waif of a few months ago, Mary smiled. Despite the fact that Billy was physically smaller than either Zack or Jason, Mary had noticed that he kept up with them admirably, and what he lacked in strength or coordination, he made up by inventing fantastic games that kept all three boys, and more recently the two girls, occupied for hours. 

Pulling into the driveway, Mary glanced in the rearview mirror. "Jason, you need to change out of your gi before you do anything else," she admonished sternly, knowing that if he didn't, the white gi would be stained badly and nearly impossible to revert to its former state. 

"'Kay, Mom! Oh, and Billy, we ought to - " The end of the sentence was lost on Mary as Jason and Billy both bounded out of the vehicle and raced for the house. Walking through the door, Mary could hear the pounding of two pairs of feet on the stairs as the boys flew up towards Jason's room to change. Shaking her head, Mary sighed. "Sounds like a horde of elephants going up the stairs. JASON! BILLY! DON'T RUN IN THE HOUSE!" she called after them for good measure. Walking into the kitchen, Mary began taking items out of the refrigerator to start supper.

Upstairs, Jason had changed into a red t-shirt and jean shorts, while Billy unpacked his overnight bag and got situated. Jason's spacious room was furnished with a set of bunk beds that were more often transformed into a 'castle' or 'fort' for play than they were slept in, but they were comfortable and easily accommodated the two boys. Jason was moving his things to the top bunk to allow Billy the bottom one - Billy always got nervous that he'd fall during the night somehow if he was in the top one. 

Jason rooted around in the bottom bunk for Hector, his stuffed dragon. At nearly twelve, Jason would never have acknowledged that he had an attachment to the toy, but the fact remained that even if Hector was carefully obscured among the pillows, Jason preferred the dragon to be near him in sleep. Billy was one of the few people that knew about the stuffed dragon, but had never said a word about it. Jason suspected Billy understood well, and had one day, when lounging in Billy's room, discovered hidden under the covers a raggedy stuffed bear. The bear bore a small, red satin heart on the left side of its chest that was inscribed with "William Connor Cranston, April 1, 1979. Love, Mom and Dad." Jason suspected that the bear had special connections to Billy's mother, and inwardly knew how much those meant to his friend.

Hector located, Jason tossed the dragon carelessly on the top bunk and turned to Billy. "You done? Let's go outside!" Not another word had to be spoken as both boys turned and, Mary's admonishment about running in the house forgotten, flew down the stairs.

~*~

Kimberly hopped into the car with her father and mother excitedly. He had come by unexpectedly that evening to take his daughter out for dinner to celebrate the last day of school, much to Carolyn Hart's consternation. Kim's focus on scampering upstairs to change into a dress for the occasion, she had missed the tersely whispered argument about not simply showing up without warning. Carolyn was furious. She had meant to take Kim out to celebrate as well, excluding her husband. Kimberly had skipped downstairs just at that moment and asked her father brightly if Carolyn could also come. 

"I don't think your mom would want to -" Kevin had begun. Carolyn interrupted.

"Of course I would! We can take her out together." A look decidedly challenging in nature was shot at Kevin.

Kevin returned it. "Well, then it's a plan. Let's go."

The car ride was uneventful, neither parent speaking much, nor needing to as Kim kept up a steady stream from the back seat. At last, they pulled up in front of Brandolini's, one of Angel Grove's better restaurants. "Expensive," Carolyn remarked. While she had a job, it certainly did not pay nearly as well as her husband's, and if she had been taking Kim out on her own as planned, she knew she could not have afforded this particular eatery.

"Only the best for my little girl," remarked Kevin, giving Carolyn a saccharine smile. Carolyn bit her tongue. _For Kimberly's sake, I will not get fight with him. We are here to celebrate her achievement in completing another year of school, not to discuss our relationship._ Even with this noble thought, Carolyn had a tough time not retorting. However, a look at her daughter's glowing face helped reinforce her resolve to be civil.

Once the Harts were seated, Kevin smiled at his daughter. "Well, are you looking forward to cheerleading camp in two weeks?" 

"I'm not going to cheerleading camp," said Kimberly, her face darkening slightly. "Mom and I talked it over, and we decided that gymnastics camp would be better." She didn't say that she had no intention of putting up with Evelyn and the rest of the cheerleaders for a full week of sleepover camp. Carolyn, apprised of the situation by another mother, had suggested to Kim that she take a year off of cheerleading and concentrate on her gymnastics, and then rejoin the squad the year after that if she wished. 

Kevin looked at his wife in surprise. "And you didn't think that this was something you should tell me? Why, Kimberly? I thought you liked cheerleading."

Carolyn interjected before Kim could answer. "There have been some…difficulties. Can we discuss this later?"

Kevin glared back. "What kind of difficulties? And what's wrong with discussing it now?"

"Oh, for God's sake, Kevin, don't be such a jackass!" Carolyn exploded, all of her resolve giving way to her resentment of Kevin's usurping what was supposed to be 'her' evening with Kim. 

Kevin took a deep breath to gather himself. "Carolyn -" It was only then that he happened to glance at Kimberly. Her face, before so happy and lively, had fallen miserably. Carolyn's eyes followed Kevin's, and both of them looked at each other.

"I'm sorry, honey," said Carolyn softly to Kim. 

"So am I, sweetie," sighed Kevin. "So, how did the last day go? Are you looking forward to going to the junior high school next year? How is Trini?" 

Kim answered, relieved. Dinner and the rest of the evening passed uneventfully as Kimberly became more and more animated, in her excitement not taking notice of the strain between her parents. 

~*~

"Okay, you two! Up to bed!" grinned Dean Scott, shooing his son and Billy out of the den as their movie ended. 

"Awww, Dad, come on! Can't we watch just a little of this other one?" Dean laughed. "Not tonight, you can't. It's pretty late even if you don't have school tomorrow. I'll make you a deal, though. If you go up to bed, I'll let you two watch it tomorrow morning, and it won't be taken out of your TV time, Jason." To discourage too much TV watching, the Scotts had allotted their son a set time in front of the television, and rarely allowed him extra time.

"Okay!" Both boys were off the couch in a flash, deciding that the deal was a good one. Arriving in Jason's room, the boys quickly changed into pajamas and soon all that could be heard in the darkened room were the soft sounds of childish laughter. Those swiftly faded into the deep, regular breathing of sleep. 

Dean carefully peeked into the room an hour after he'd kicked the two out of the den. It was quiet, and he softly shut the door behind him. "I think they're asleep," he said, smiling at Mary who had come to stand beside him.

Mary yawned. "Sleep sounds like a good idea right now. I think that's what I'm heading to do." 

Dean walked downstairs to turn off the lights and then came upstairs. As he settled into the bed beside his wife, he clicked off the last light, and the Scott house slipped into a peaceful darkness. 

~*~

In the Kwan home, Trini was lying in her bed wide-awake, thinking. She sighed softly, hardly able to believe another year of school had passed. The coming year, all of them would be in the sixth grade. Due to a new policy from the school board to relieve overcrowding in the elementary schools, sixth graders would be in the junior high school. Her parents had just been to a meeting to pick up registration and information packets, and one of the first events of the new school year would be a dance. Kim, characteristically, had been most excited about that, and Trini suspected that Kim would have been much more preoccupied with it if it hadn't been for the Hart's marital difficulties. 

The first thing that had been discussed by both girls had been dates. Of course, Trini thought with a smile, her parents would never allow her to go on a 'real' one-on-one date yet. Kim's probably wouldn't either, so it was sort of a moot point, but nonetheless an interesting hypothetical situation. _Even more interesting since there really is someone I'd like to ask,_ thought Trini. A soft fluttering pronounced itself in her stomach as she thought about that possibility. While Kim had always been somewhat precocious and had crushes on various boys since the fourth grade, Trini had not felt the stirring within herself until that point. It scared her a little.

Trini shook her head and rolled over. She had no intention of allowing her feelings to be known. _It would wreck the friendship,_ she thought silently, at last fading into sleep.

~*~

"Dad! Dad! Wake up!" 

The urgent whisper asserted itself in Dean Scott's consciousness. "Unhhhh," he grunted softly, trying to identify the voice and its purpose in his sleep-addled mind. "Jason?"

"Dad, come with me. It's….it's Billy." 

Fully waking as he realized the urgency in Jason's tone, Dean swung himself out of the bed and followed his son down the hall. Reaching Jason's room, he could hear cries issuing from the dark cave of the bottom bunk. What shocked Dean was how much anguish and fear were present in those sobs. "Billy?" he said, grasping the boy's shoulder firmly and gently shaking him awake.

A pair of arms wrapped around Dean tightly. Dean knew inwardly that for Billy to be so, well, vulnerable in front of him, what ever had happened had to be incredibly bad. Billy didn't even act that way with Alden. "What is it, Billy?" Dean queried gently. 

A sobbing hiccup was the only response. "Can you tell me what you were dreaming about?" Dean tried again.

"Mom!" cried Billy. "Don't take her away!"

"Who is taking her away?" Dean probed, an icy feeling beginning to settle on his shoulders. 

"The ambulance. And they won't let me go with her, they say I need to stay here and keep lying down. But they've got the sheet pulled up too far, and she can't breathe. She can't breathe as well with the sheet over her face, can she?" Dean felt his heart break as he stared at the tearstained little face. It was so easy to forget what with Billy's normally adult speech and behavior how young he actually was. While Dean had known that Hannah Cranston had died in a tragic car accident, he had not known that Billy had been present at the scene. The scene was too frighteningly realistically described to be the brainchild of even an imaginative person. 

Dean sighed, unable to decide what to do. He supposed calling Alden was the best course of action, at least let Billy hear his father's familiar voice. Carefully detaching himself from Billy's iron grip, he stood up. "Billy, I'm going to call your dad so you can talk to him. Jason, will you stay here please?" Hurrying down the hall, Dean went to locate the portable telephone.

All Jason could hear was a terrified sobbing. Unsure of what to do, he climbed into the top bunk, grabbed Hector, and climbed down. "Billy?" he asked. No answer except a sniffle.

Awkwardly, Jason put his arm around his friend. The sobs had started to slow, but there was a definite misery palpable. Unable to think of anything to comfort Billy, Jason looked down at the stuffed dragon squeezed in his free arm. "Here," he said impulsively. "This is for you." 

Billy accepted the toy, clutching Hector tightly in his arms. The two sat in silence, Jason's arm around Billy's shoulders, Billy wrapped around Hector, until Dean came back with the phone. "Here," he said softly. "Your dad wants to talk to you."

After a mostly one sided conversation with Billy only answering in sniffles, yeses and nos, the boy had calmed down considerably. Dean carefully took the phone and as he made a last cursory check to make sure that Billy would be all right, he noticed the stuffed animal Billy held. Dean almost smiled. He remembered giving Jason that dragon after he had won it in a carnival when Jason was five. That night, Jason had had a terrible nightmare. Dean remembered it very clearly, for while Jason rarely had nightmares that were more than a bad feeling when Jason woke up, this one Jason had been very specific about the events in it. "A huge gold monster with a sword and red eyes!" Dean remembered his son telling him. Casting about for something to comfort Jason, Dean had seized on the stuffed red dragon lying beside him. 

"Here," Dean remembered saying, "This is Hector. He'll protect you from the nasty monster if you just keep him close." Jason had snuggled up to the dragon, remarking that it was even his favorite red. Ever since, even when Jason had begun to consider himself far too old for stuffed animals, Dean knew he could walk into the room and find Hector hidden among the bedding. He was, therefore, surprised that Jason was letting Billy see it, let alone hold it. A wave of fatherly pride washed over Dean as he quietly left the room and heard a childish voice in the darkness.

"You can keep him," said the voice Dean identified as Jason's. Dean padded back to his bedroom and snuggled back down beside Mary. 

"I feel so bad," Mary whispered. "That poor boy."

"I know," murmured Dean. "I had no idea." Alden Cranston's conversation with Dean before Dean had put Billy on the line had let the Scotts know that the nightmares had been a regular occurrence for months after the accident, but since moving to Angel Grove, they had almost stopped. Alden had apologized for not telling the Scotts, explaining that he had not even thought about one happening.

"I wish the paramedics had been a little more careful in what they allowed him to see," Alden had sighed. "I think that they were so busy attending to Hannah and then Billy, that it didn't even occur to them to obscure his view of the scene. When I got to the hospital, they had given him something to calm him down, but even then he couldn't stop shaking." 

Mary curled close to her husband, unable to imagine how she would feel if something happened to Dean. Dean put his arms around her, and then spoke again. "Jason gave him Hector."

"What?"

"Jason gave Billy Hector the dragon."

"His favorite?"

"Mmm-hmm. I was so proud of him. I think Jason's growing up to be more compassionate than I'd realized."

Mary couldn't resist the motherly smile that curled her lips. "I'm glad for that. But we ought to have Alden and Billy over together some time. It hadn't even occurred to me that while we see Billy here on a regular basis, Alden doesn't do much, and it might be nice for him to get out." 

Dean knew that this was Mary's way of trying to help the situation and wisely nodded in silence. At last, both Scotts fell back to sleep.

_To Be Continued_


	4. Dancing with disaster

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Disclaimer: See previous chapters. I have no delusions about owning them.

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Author's note: This is what happens when one is insane enough to decide to take a credit overload! Stories get abandoned for months, and I sincerely apologize for the delay. Now that midterms are over, I should have a teeny bit of free time…

To those who have reviewed this, a huge thank you!!! About Tommy or any of the others appearing in this story, Tommy may or may not appear briefly (I haven't decided yet), but this story is the first in a series of young ranger fics I've begun writing that will eventually include the following: "Tried Foundation" (Rocky, Adam, and Aisha), "Genesis" (Tommy), "Phoenix Rising" (Tanya), "Sweetheart of Surrey Hill" (Katherine), and "World Apart" (David).

Zack grumbled softly as Cheryl Taylor marched him out of the house and into the family station wagon. "Mom," he protested, "why do I have to do this? It's summer vacation, and I only have two more weeks left! This is boring!" _And everyone will laugh at me if they find out._

His objections were in vain, as Cheryl breathed a sigh of frustration and turned to her son briefly. "Zachary Evan Taylor, I am going to count to ten. If you are not in that car by that time…" The threat hung unspoken in the air.

Zack grouchily climbed into the car. Cheryl slid into the driver's seat and smiled at her son in a reconciliatory way. Zack huffed and shot her a look only a wrathful eleven year old could. "Zack," said Cheryl finally, exasperated, "I know you enjoy your dance classes. What's really the problem?" she challenged, curious. 

Zack knew his mother meant business when she took that tone of voice. "Nothing, Mom. I'm sorry." It was more prudent, he decided, to just apologize instead of getting into a long discussion on the narrow-mindedness of anyone who would tease him about taking dance lessons. 

"You'll put it to good use someday!" Cheryl smiled. "Charming the girls and all."

Zack rolled his eyes. He was rather doubtful about that scenario, but girls were becoming interesting creatures to him. The two drove, listening to the radio in silence. At last, they arrived at the studio, located in Stone Canyon. Zack climbed out of the station wagon, grabbed his bag with his shoes and apparel, and headed into the studio as Cheryl drove out of the parking lot. Stone Canyon, a full half-hour away, had better shops than Angel Grove, and usually she took advantage of them in her rare hour of free time while Zack was in class. 

The crowded studio teemed with students from pink and spangle clad little girls with ballet slippers, older girls in black leotards and pointe shoes, boys in white shirts and black sweat pants, to the jazz and tap kids clad in leotards of all colors and varieties with their black shoes peeking out from under sweatpants and cover-ups. Zack walked into the restroom and changed into a white muscle shirt, loose fitting black sweats, and his pair of split flex-sole black tennis shoes. Checking his watch, he walked back into the mild roar of the waiting room to wait for the class using the studio to finish. 

Glancing around as he sat, his arms sticking to the vinyl seat, Zack tried to pretend to be cool and above the whole thing. Truth was, he really did love dancing, but it was not as…generally accepted…as his karate lessons. Despite the fact that Jason and Zack's friendship spanned several years, Zack had managed thus far to keep his friend in the dark about exactly what he did in the afternoons he couldn't play but wasn't in karate class. Never exactly lying, but always ducking questions, Zack always felt a little guilty. He realized that Jason would probably be cool with it, as would Billy (he supposed at least, since Billy was involved in activities that were about as socially acceptable as Zack's dancing), but there was no way he was telling either of the girls who would certainly find out if he let the guys in on his secret. Bad enough, he thought, being African-American and different like that, but to admit that he danced? He'd never stop being harassed.

Seeing the studio door open, Zack jerked himself out of his musing and stood up. As several young women in ballet slippers came out of the door, his breath caught as he recognized one in a pale pink leotard. Ducking as quickly as he could, Zack flew into the restroom, only a few steps away. Leaning back against the wall, he exhaled with relief. 

"Zack?" said a certain familiar voice.

Zack didn't open his eyes for an instant while his mind raced. "You're not allowed in here," he finally replied weakly.

"Silly, of course I am. This is the girl's bathroom."

"Oh." 

Kimberly Hart studied her friend. Possessed by a terrible urge to giggle at his discomfiture, she realized quickly that he was deeply embarrassed and sensed that her laughter would cut. "Uh, let's go back out there," she said finally after an uneasy silence. "Where we're both allowed to be." Zack obliged, his face heated.

Back in the chaos of the waiting room, Kim smiled gently at her friend. "So what do you take here?" 

"Jazz and hip-hop" said Zack, his normal outgoing demeanor replaced by an uncharacteristic burst of shyness. "Um, what do you take? I thought you were into gymnastics."

"I am," replied Kimberly. "But a little bit of dance helps with grace and learning choreography. My gym doesn't offer anything much, so my coach recommended this studio."

Zack nodded mutely. He blushed slightly. "You're...you're not going to, er, tell the others are you?" 

Kimberly shrugged. "I think it's kind of cool," she said offhandedly. "I mean, we've got that school dance coming up when school starts in a couple weeks. You'll, like, be able to actually dance."

"Yeah. Uh, thanks." Kimberly's compassion touched him and gave him a modicum of courage. "Kim?"

She raised an eyebrow, inviting him to continue. "Would you go with me to that dance? As friends and all, of course." 

Kim smiled, flattered and considered. She searched Zack's eyes and face for any sign that he had feelings other than friendship for her. She didn't mind going with a friend if he really meant it as friends only, but she didn't want to lead him on if there was more to it. However, she correctly interpreted the signals he sent all as purely motivated, and she smiled. "Just as friends?" 

"Yeah," said Zack. He hoped Kimberly wasn't reading into his intentions more than they deserved, he knew inwardly that Kim was a wonderful girl, but not really his type. 

"Okay," said Kim with a grin, "As long as you promise to dance and not stick to the wall all the time!"

"Never fear, Zack-man is here!" Zack thrust out his chest proudly and positioned himself in a mock-hero pose. Kim groaned. "I've got to go. I'm going to be late. Uh...thanks." He turned toward the door to the studio.

"'Bye," said Kim glancing after him bemusedly. Relief rose in her. She'd been called by a couple of the bolder boys and asked to the dance, but if truth had been told, despite her love of flirting, she knew she wasn't ready for a boyfriend or even a real, romantic date. It would be fun to go as friends with Zack, she thought, and then I can tell everyone that I've already got someone I'm going with.

Glancing out the door, Kimberly saw her mother's minivan pull up, and yanked open the glass door to step out into the California sunshine. 

~*~

Parking in front of the supermarket, Mary Scott squinted slightly against the bright sunlight. _What a gorgeous day_ she thought to herself, grabbing a shopping cart from one of the cart corrals in the parking lot and pushing it through the door. Consulting her shopping list, she headed first for the produce aisle. What with three growing boys running around the house, she always tried to make sure there was healthy food on hand for them to snack on. Browsing by a large display of apples, she calmly pulled a bag off the role and began selecting. Engrossed her thoughts about the boys and in inspecting the smooth round fruits, she barely noticed a slight Asian woman walk over. "Mary?"

Mary turned. "Hello, Hei." She said, facing the small woman. "How are you?"

"Quite well, thank you, and you?"

"Also well, thank you."

Hei Kwan smiled. "Is Jason looking forward to middle school?"

"Yes, indeed," said Mary with a smile. "Though I'm not sure how I feel about putting sixth graders in with the middle schoolers. Maybe I'm just being nostalgic, because it feels like Jason's growing up so fast."

Hei gave a slight nod. "Are you allowing Jason to go to the dance when the year starts?"

Mary sighed. She and Dean had been over this a few times and had mixed feelings on it. On one hand, her son was growing up, and it was probably coming time to begin teaching him how to relate to the opposite sex as she recently began noticing him shooting an occasional covert look at particularly pretty girls they encountered. He was, after all, getting close to twelve, and the dance, she knew, was not only being held in the afternoon directly after school, but also going to be well chaperoned. However, she felt slightly uncomfortable at the idea of him asking a girl to the dance. "We are," said Mary with a slightly defeated air to her tone. "I know it's going to be well-chaperoned and in broad daylight."

Hei caught the reserve in Mary's tone. "Henry and I are not at all certain," she confessed, "but I agree that it will at least be in a decent location, and with reliable chaperones."

Mary smiled. "I thought seriously about not letting him go," she confessed, "but I remember junior high dances. Nothing too untoward happened, and most of the time the boys and girls are too nervous to do more than stand at opposite corners of the room and try to work up the courage to ask someone to dance with them. Besides," she added, "I know they're still accepting chaperones, so if you and Henry wanted to go…"

Hei flushed slightly. "No, Henry and I trust our daughter and the school. I just wanted to consult with…well, another parent."

"I completely understand. It makes me feel better to know that someone else is as nervous about this as I am," Mary said. 

Hei nodded. "Indeed." The two women said their good-byes and proceeded with their shopping.

~*~

Listening to her daughter chatter on the drive home, Carolyn Hart sighed inaudibly. She forced a smile to her lips as Kimberly announced that Zack was going to escort her to the dance as friends. That was one small relief to her in the miasma that blanketed her mind, Kim could be overly feminine at times and seemed to have been born flirting. Carolyn feared for her daughter. Kimberly's precocity with boys coupled with an early developing figure and childish naïveté tended to be the sort of combination that led to disaster and attracting older boys who were interested in disabusing girls like Kim of their innocence.

_At least she's not trying to date yet_ Carolyn thought. She had noticed a few outfits that tested the boundaries and the pink lip-gloss Kim kept trying to wear surreptitiously to get around Carolyn's rules against makeup. Thanking God for small favors, Carolyn focused again on her daughter's voice and the road. As much as she wanted to listen, however, she could not ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as they turned onto their street. Carolyn had allowed Kim this half-hour of happiness, knowing when they got home, Kevin would be there waiting for them. She wanted now, just as she had the whole ride, to blurt out the news to Kimberly right then and there and get it over with, but she had given her word to Kevin that they'd break the news to Kim together, and even when angry, Carolyn was a fair woman at heart.

Pulling into the driveway, Kimberly's chatter instantly turned into a single exclamation of surprise. "Daddy's here!" she smiled, turning to her mother. Kevin had visited his daughter a number of times over the summer, but had rented an apartment by his workplace. It was a rare treat indeed to see her father at home, and as soon as Carolyn turned off the ignition, Kimberly hopped down and into the house. Carolyn followed reluctantly.

"Daddy!" squealed Kim, flinging her small arms around him.

"Baby!" said Kevin, embracing his daughter with equal joy.

"Why are you here?" babbled the girl gracelessly. "Are you taking me out?"

"No, no," replied Kevin slowly, extricating himself from his daughter's embrace. "Actually, your mother and I have something we need to discuss with you."

Kimberly's eyes lit up. She had noticed her parents talking – not fighting – over the telephone a couple of times in the last few weeks, and Carolyn had made several trips to see Kevin. _This is it!_ she thought, _Daddy's going to come home for good and he and Mom are going to stop fighting._

"Are you coming to live here with us again?" Kim's eyes sparkled, unable to contain her enthusiasm. _I knew I could help them get back together!_ Every time she saw her father she reported glowing things about her mother, and vice-versa. Maybe, she thought, they'd see how great the other was and realize that they wanted to stay married. It had been an industrious task for the girl, and as she waited for her payoff, she bounced slightly.

Kevin looked at Carolyn, swallowing hard. Carolyn looked slightly stunned, but collected herself and took a deep breath. "Sweetheart," Kevin spoke with as much gentleness as he could muster. "Baby, your mother and I…" he trailed off. Gathering every ounce of courage he could, he faced Kimberly and looked her straight in the eye. "Your mother and I are getting a divorce."

The room fell silent. Seconds ticked past. Kim's face changed, almost as if in slow motion, shattering, and tears springing into her eyes. Then she brushed past both of her frozen parents out of the room. Both heard the front door slam.

~*~

"Ki-yah!" shouted Jason as Trini blocked his punch. They were sparring together, with Billy looking on.

"Ai-yah" answered Trini, as she launched a kick and noticed Dean Scott watching them out the kitchen window, and then turned her full attention back to her form. Ending the match, she bowed to Jason, and looked to Billy. "What did you think?" she asked the boy, trying to make sure he felt included, even if he had not the expertise to criticize them truly. 

"An effective demonstration," murmured Billy shyly. Glancing at his watch he straightened. "I believe, however, that my father requested me home by three today if I wished to see the guest lecturer at the University on the basic principles of chemistry, and as I would very much enjoy it…" he trailed off.

Jason slapped him on the back. "Go on, man. Trini and I'll be fine."

Billy nodded and excused himself after the three had promised to meet in the park the next day and set a time. Trini grabbed a towel off the porch railing. "I'd also better get going," she said lightly.

"Wait," said Jason softly, a pang of nervousness working its way into his stomach. "Uhm, Trini?"

The willowy girl nodded gracefully. "Yes?"

"Would you go the dance with me?"

Trini was taken entirely aback. No, no, she thought to herself. _This isn't who's supposed to be asking me!_ Her voice failed her for an instant, but unbidden by her mind, she suddenly heard herself say "Yes."

_To Be Continued_


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